Festival Photo

Since 1947 the Music Academy of the West has fostered a uniquely joyful engagement with music. Each June 140 gifted young classical singers and instrumentalists, selected entirely for their talent, gather for eight weeks in Santa Barbara to study and make music with illustrious guest artists, conductors, and faculty – all to the delight of participating audiences. We invite you to take part in the incomparable Music Academy Summer Festival. Half of all festival events can be attended free of charge.

2009 Summer Festival Highlights

Sunday, 5 July

7:30 pm, Lobero Theatre
Academy Chamber Orchestra
Larry Rachleff, conductor
Christopher Taylor, piano
Varèse: Intégrales
Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques
Mozart: Piano Concerto in C Major, K. 467
Last summer, pianist Christopher Taylor gave Hahn Hall's inaugural recital, a breathtaking, two-hour performance of Messiaen's Vingt Regards hailed by Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed as an "almost mystical experience." This summer, he will perform as a soloist with Academy wind and percussion Fellows in Messiaen's vibrant Oiseaux exotiques, and with the Academy Chamber Orchestra in Mozart's hauntingly beautiful C Major piano concerto.
Reserved seating: $45, includes Lobero facility fee
TICKETS

Saturday, 18 July

8 pm, The granada

Academy Festival Orchestra

Peter Oundjian, conductor
Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E Minor

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Peter Oundjian is a major presence in the orchestral world. His probing musicality, collaborative spirit, and engaging personality have earned him accolades and continuing relationships with many international ensembles. Following the thrilling performance of Mahler's epic third symphony last August, Maestro Oundjian returns to lead the Academy Festival Orchestra in one of his favorite Mahler symphonies, the mysterious and powerful seventh.
Reserved seating: $45, $30, and $10, including Granada facility fees
TICKETS

Saturday, 25 July

9:30 am, Lobero Theatre
Concerto Night Open Dress Rehearsal
Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
The Academy Festival Orchestra and soloists prepare for performances of single movements from several concerti. See below for details.
Reserved seating: $23, includes Lobero facility fee
TICKETS

Saturday, 25 July

8 pm, Lobero Theatre
Academy Festival Orchestra: Concerto Night
Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
One of the most exciting emerging talents on the musical stage today, Alexander Mickelthwate serves as music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and is active as a guest conductor in North America and Europe. In August 2007 he concluded a three-year tenure as associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Los Angeles Times has commended his fearless approach and first-rate technique. Maestro Mickelthwate will conduct the Academy Festival Orchestra and the talented winners of our 2009 Concerto Competition. The Concerto Night program will be announced on July 13.
Reserved seating: $51, includes Lobero facility fee
TICKETS

Friday, 7 August

2009 Opera Production

7:30 pm, Lobero Theatre
George Manahan, conductor
Casey Stangl, director
Thomas: Mignon
A personal favorite of Marilyn Horne, who performed the title role early in her career, Mignon is a charming and melodious opera in the French Romantic style. Based on Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, it was first performed in Paris in 1866. Regarded as Thomas' masterpiece, Mignon is filled with graceful music – most notably the lovely aria "Connais-tu le pays?" The Music Academy's fully staged production will feature Simone Osborne, first-prize winner at the 2008 Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition. We welcome the return of Maestro George Manahan, music director of the New York City Opera, and Casey Stangl, who directed our 2007 production of La Bohème. Repeats August 9 at 2:30 pm. Mignon is the 2009 Irene Cummings Endowed Opera at the Music Academy of the West.
Reserved Seating: $68 / $48, includes Lobero facility fee
TICKETS

Saturday, 8 August

8 pm, First Presbyterian Church
A Baroque Evening with the Academy Chamber Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Rameau: Naïs Suite
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048
Purcell: Abdelazar, Z 570 "Moor's Revenge" Suite
Handel: Water Music Suites in D Major and G Major

Nicholas McGegan has captivated players and audiences alike with his irrepressible enthusiasm. "An acclaimed expert in 18th century style" (The New Yorker), McGegan, who is music director of San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, is called upon by symphony orchestras across the globe to conduct not only the music of Handel, Haydn, and Mozart, but also Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.
Unreserved Seating: $45
TICKETS

Sunday, 9 August

2009 Opera Production

2:30 pm, Lobero Theatre
George Manahan, conductor
Casey Stangl, director
Thomas: Mignon
A personal favorite of Marilyn Horne, who performed the title role early in her career, Mignon is a charming and melodious opera in the French Romantic style. Based on Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, it was first performed in Paris in 1866. Regarded as Thomas' masterpiece, Mignon is filled with graceful music – most notably the lovely aria "Connais-tu le pays?" The Music Academy's fully staged production will feature Simone Osborne, first-prize winner at the 2008 Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition. We welcome the return of Maestro George Manahan, music director of the New York City Opera, and Casey Stangl, who directed our 2007 production of La Bohème. Mignon is the 2009 Irene Cummings Endowed Opera at the Music Academy of the West.
Reserved Seating: $68 / $48, includes Lobero facility fee
TICKETS

Saturday, 15 August

8 pm, The Granada
Academy Festival Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, op. 20
Copland: A Lincoln Portrait
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, op. 36

The internationally renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin is music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. From 1979 to 1996 he served as music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. This Southern California native has been hailed for imaginative programming, and his interpretations of both the standard and contemporary symphonic repertoire have garnered high praise from critics and audiences alike.
Reserved seating: $45, $30, and $10, including Granada facility fees
TICKETS

 

 

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